Hey henry91w thanks very much! Really appreciate the support and glad you enjoyed the video. One great thing we experienced in our travels actually was the growing community of Chinese adventurers and travellers doing their own similar trips. 加油！
Many years later hah~, I'm still impressed by you two have done this! And it's amazing that the web still exists. The BGM"曾经的你by Xuwei" now becomes the ANTHEM encouraging us to go to Tibet, no matter by Motorcycle or Vehicle or whatever
Weihua Shi Thanks! We really appreciate the kind comments. Glad you enjoyed the video. We're hoping we can make this into a mini-series sometime soon too, so hopefully more to come!
Buck Perley I lived in China more than 30 years, but I have only been to Beijing, Shanghai, Henan Province, Anhui province, Jiangsu province, Zhejiang province, Guangdong province, Guizhou province and Hunan province. I know there are lots of parts of China with wonderful natural scenery and different culture. But I don't have the courage like you guys to travel so long distance in China by riding a motorcycle. You guys are awesome!
Weihua Shi It definitely is a big country with so much to see and do, people to meet, and food to eat! Even 5 months and 21,000 miles wasn't nearly enough. Courage is all in the mind, just have to find your opportunity, something you care about, and get out there and ride! 加油！
I was proud of myself with a trip of 9000 km... nothing compare to both of you , what a such experience ..wowwww My only words for you is Woowww I am impressed.. We can,t do a trip like that without being a real adventurer.. Congratulation
Thanks Claude! Glad you enjoyed it and thanks for watching! Don't sell yourself short either. 9000km can be an adventure too. My very first motorcycle trip was a few thousand miles with my dad down the east coast of the U.S., and ever since then I was hooked :D
+Rupert Utley Ditto for your trip! Did we run into each other on the road? We were very happy and pleasantly surprised by the CF after it was all said and done. Only problems were due to human error and natural wear and tear, despite the conditions being less than ideal!
I have bought one the CFMOTO 650TR and really satisfied with engine performance, durability, endurance...body work finishing, value for money, easy handling which is lighter than ST..I complete ride it from Malaysia (Johor) to Chiang Rai (Northern Thailand Province) without a single problem on the road....just to change the engine oil & oil filter before return to Malaysia
Hi Rohiman MJ, thanks for sharing your experiences with your CFMOTO! Totally agree. It's quite an impressive bike and does a good job of dispelling a lot of the suspicions people have of quality when it comes to Chinese made products. Keep the paint side up and the rubber on the road!
hope to see the full length video! Motorcycles are forbidden in many cities of China, so most people would choose travel by car, you guys are really bravo
+john a stirzaker Unfortunately the record has since been beaten but yeah it's definitely going to be tough to do again in China considering motorcycles can't use the expressways (legally)
+MrPanda415 Haha, thanks! Was challenging at times, but to be honest you get used to it and it sort of just becomes your new normal, a new "nine-to-five"
Thank you for the video of your great trip. Will try to see the rest of your trip around China. Apart from showing us the great video, may be you should also go into some details describing the experiences you had in China, good and bad. To give the rest of us a objective view on China. Thank you again, I am envious of your great adventure.
Riding through the tibetan plateau is one of my bucketlist. How difficult is it to do Touring in China? Do you need special guide or permits? what about the motorcycle rentals?
Awesome video! I randomly stumbled upon your channel because I just uploaded my own world travels video. It looks like you had tons of fun! Great work filming & editing! I just recently started making travel videos about a month ago while traveling Europe. I know all the hard work that goes into it! Your videos great! Have a good day!
Hey Ryan Wilson, thanks very much and thanks for watching! Definitely is a lot of work taking care of all the footage we managed to gather along the way, especially after a full day on the bike! :) Happy travels
Your welcome Buck, you deserve the praise. I've been through the same troubles in filming my own travels. If you get a chance I'd love to get your feedback, I'm always trying to improve!
Ryan Wilson Appreciate it! I managed to have a quick look through some of yours and I think it looks good. Like your use of music! Most important thing is to just stick with it. It's been over a year since we finished the trip and we're only now on the verge of finally finishing a pilot for a mini-series. Lots of ups and downs!
Thanks so much for sharing! I plan to do a similar trip in South America, do you have any tips, advice, cautionary tales? What would you say is the most important thing/things to bring on this trip? Thanks.
Hey tronable, So sorry for taking so long to respond! Glad you enjoyed the video. When are you planning your trip and for how long? As for advice and stories, we've got plenty, and probably too much to fit in one youtube comment :). You could check out our site which lists out our equipment, has maps, and a daily trip diary where you can read about the difficulties we ran into. Honestly though, the most important point of advice I can give is to go out for some practice trips. Even if it's not as "rugged" as you may get on your SA trip, you'll still work out some of the kinks of your systems (what to pack, how to pack, how to unpack, etc.) and then the rest you'll learn as you're going along. Each person is different and so everyone has their own systems and their own "must pack" items. Other than taking practice trips, I would also recommend having some sort of "home base" back at home. Someone you can trust to handle postage of things in case you need to send things back. Also take the time to maybe try and set up some waypoints along the way where people can send you mail. This can be good for morale (friends and family sending you care packages and letters) as well as for making equipment upgrades. Finding the International Youth Hostels in the major cities you know you'll be passing through is probably a good strategy. This was a little tougher for us to manage since in China, bikes aren't always allowed in cities and foreigners aren't always allowed to stay in hotels so not many hotels would make a commitment to accept packages ahead of time. Hope that helps!
Oh and one more thing to add- pack XL sized ziplock bags (1L and up) and duct tape. Invaluable tools. (send extra ziplocks to your mail drops too as they will wear down and can be hard to find).
May I k ow what type / brand of bike are you using during this adventure? Is there any mechanical problem during the trip? Roughly how many kilometer did you travel each day on the trip? Thank you 😁😁😁
Of course, a Chinese brand called CFMoto. Some mechanical problems but mostly human error. you can learn more from our blog or the book www.thegreatrideofchina.com
+Luk M Hey. Yeah unfortunately all of your paperwork needs to be local. Good news is that it's not prohibitively difficult to get. If you have a foreign license you can convert into a Chinese one by taking a written test (and they have an English version). If you buy a local bike then it is also possible to get the plates and insurance.
@@BuckPerley how long would it take to be done with the paper work? I really appreciate if you can guide me to a website or any information regarding the process! I have been longing for a china tour, but I hold back when i read you need to have a guide for all your travel destinations. Thanks
@@slamionthebest Hey, sorry for the delay in responding! Unless you plan on going to Tibet, a guide is not necessary. If you're not nervous about riding illegally, I knew plenty of foreigners (and Chinese) that just bought used motorcycles with cash and took a risk that they wouldn't be pulled over, which for the most part worked out. I got my Chinese driver's license a very long time ago now, so things have likely changed quite a bit. In any case, this is a somewhat humorous telling of my experience with the test back then: www.rubberonroad.com/2012/09/driving-license-some-insight-into-poor-chinese-driving-habits/
@@slamionthebest You might also find some of the content on our website/blog helpful. There's a post I wrote before we set out on the trip talking about how we were thinking of preparation, and then as you go through the blog itself just seeing day to day how we adapted and changed based on conditions: www.thegreatrideofchina.com/trip-preparation/
We had to work with a tour company located there. It is definitely not easy, but if you find go with a guide (or at least this was the case in 2013) it's perfectly manageable.
+Maurice W. Thanks! Bike held up great. Only ran into normal problems of wear and tear plus some issues caused by human error at local mechanic shops. Got a lot more info on that on our website (not to mention our currently in progress book and mini-series!) and I plan on putting together a dedicated, in-depth review soon too.
Hey Likhi Ondov Thanks very much! Amy, my girlfriend who's in the video too, is also half Chinese but grew up abroad and a big part of the trip for her was learning more about that side of her background. She's also an architect and so she wanted to learn more about China's ancient and varied vernacular architecture (which there is so much of around as diverse and old a country as China!). Glad you liked the video. There is A LOT more footage actually. We filmed the whole thing, probably over 80 hours total. We're in talks with some people to hopefully put together a mini-series. So fingers crossed that we can make that happen. I'm also working on a book that should be out hopefully next year. You can sign up at our website if you're interested in getting it for 50% off when it's released. Thanks for watching and keep the rubber on the road!
Thanks so much! Our goal is to produce this as a full mini-series (we have around 80-100 hours of footage) and we did produce a pilot episode. The plan was to sell that to a network so we could afford to produce the full thing (around 6-7 episodes). Unfortunately, we hit some roadblocks, but we do hope to release the pilot soon and then who knows what will happen! Be sure to subscribe to The Great Ride of China channel to find out when that's available.
Buck Perley riding a 650 cc motorcycle across China. I think that is difficult to sell to the population in China. When the 125 cc is the main workhorse
How hard was it for you to find fuel in more remote parts of China? How much reserve do you carry? I was told you should join a tour group and from there deviate, or at least get a guide.
Hey Eibli, thanks for watching! Actually fuel wasn't TOO difficult to find. We only had to carry reserves in Tibet where we had to have a guide anyway because foreigners aren't allowed to travel alone. There were a couple of other close calls, but usually you'll find one every 100km or so if you're on the national and provincial roads. From my experience, if you're with a tour group you will be unable to deviate as they are responsible for you from the governments point of view which includes registering where you stay each night, what your itinerary is, etc. We had to register with local PSBs (Public Safety Bureau) every 3 days in Tibet with what our schedule was going to be and most hotels in the country don't even accept foreigners (because of the difficulties registering)
hmm, how did you pull this off ? Was looking into going through china next year but the constant need for a guide was a turn off, not to mention the need for chinese lincense plates and drivers license.
It's quite a bit easier if you start in China rather than ride in from outside. So our bike was bought in China (it's actually Chinese made) and that got us the proper plates and registration, and I also had my Chinese license which you can get with an English written test to convert a foreign license (though I have heard you can get a temporary tourist one). Once you've got that, there's no need for a guide anywhere except for Tibet, which also requires separate documentation. It's an amazing and diverse country to experience from a motorcycle, so if you can find the chance, I highly recommend it!
yeah, buying a local bike is not an option, ill be travelling on my 1190 ktm. main reason i wanted to go through was to head to the himalayas but all the bureaucracy is very off putting. that and the fact i have to get to seoul to be able to ship the bike onwards to canada.
Yeah, that makes it pretty difficult then. If you're interested in getting to the himalayas then it might be worth looking into getting in from the Nepal side. We went to Everest Base Camp in Tibet, but as I mentioned there they need even more paperwork (pro tip: if you are in China, you can get a pretty unfettered Tibetan Plateau experience from Sichuan province, no extra visa, no guide, no police presence. I preferred it way more). We met one or two groups when we were in Tibet that had come from Nepal. In terms of getting to Seoul, I can't think of anyway you'd be able to get there other than shipping it anyway. Even if you could get into China, you'd still have North Korea to deal with!
North Korea would be a problem. from vladivostok its relatively easy to get to South Korea as theres a ferry every Wednesday. considering just stopping at seoul for 2-3 weeks and take a flight to kathmandu and do the everest basecamp trek. Seems to be easiest way and still cheaper than guide through china. problem with the approach from nepal is that i would somehow have to get to india(im heading east through iran) and theres pakistan and afghanistan in the way, 2 countries im not to keen on going through. uzbekistan currently also at the moment is impassable according to my info.
Hey DonQuichotteLiberia Thanks for watching! Glad you enjoyed it. Amy and I both have lived in China since 2010 so we already had some experience traveling by motorcycle here. I had a license and we had plates and insurance. The only place we needed a guide for was Tibet which is still heavily controlled. In fact, we were originally planning on going straight from Lhasa into Sichuan as it's supposed to be an amazing drive but later found out that Eastern Tibet was closed to foreigners, even with a guide, so we had to do a (massive) detour up north to Qinghai and then around back down towards Chengdu (an additional 2 weeks minimum).
Buck Perley Thanks for your reply! I'm planning to go from Europe to Xi'an this summer. Is it hard to get a Chinese license? I guess command of Chinese in reading and writing is required to take the test?
DonQuichotteLiberia Sorry for the delay. I wrote a response a while ago but just realized it never went through for some reason. If you can, unless you have the additional resources and connections in China, I would recommend against going from outside to inside China. Crossing the border into the country with a motorcycle can be very difficult and expensive because of the requirements they put on (import taxes that cost as much as the bike, guide requirements, paperwork, etc.). It's not impossible as I've heard of people doing it but from China out is significantly easier. For the test, they have an English version (at least in 1st tier cities like beijing where I took it) and you can get a foreign license converted without taking the practical and only the written. The test itself suffers from problems ranging from bad translations to questions that simply defy reason (I wrote about my favorites on a blog post here: www.rubberonroad.com/2012/09/driving-license-some-insight-into-poor-chinese-driving-habits/). I have also heard that there's something like a tourist license but I haven't done it myself so don't know for sure.
Hey Buck, thanks a lot for for your extensive response, I greatly appreciate it! I will try to book through a company to acquire the licence. BTW, your blog is awesome. Such an adventure! :-D
Hi Felix, we started off in Beijing which is where we got all of our registration done. I had already converted my US license to the Chinese one as well. Amy and I both speak Chinese (far from fluent though!) and I can read and write as well which was a huge help with the confusing Chinese road signs and contradictory GPS directions. Thanks for watching!
We're reaching out to production companies at the moment to see who might be interested in helping us to produce it. So we'll have to see. Hopefully not too long! Also, we're in the process of working on a book that we hope to have out by sometime early next year.
Thanks for watching Anunaki! We actually did do a pilot TV episode, a first that we hope can eventually be a mini-series that covers the preparations and the first 10 days and several provinces. You can check that out here: ruclips.net/video/OJSagODtV3o/видео.html As for every province, we unfortunately didn't spend enough time per province for each one to be its own episode. Since we were on a motorcycle, we were severely restricted by weather and had to keep to a timeline that would make sure, for example, that we didn't get stuck in Tibet with the snows. That said, on our website, thegreatrideofchina.com, we have a way to navigate through blog posts we did for each province. You might also be interested in the book we published that goes into more of the details from each province too!
+Yang Liu You need a guide and it's more difficult (and expensive) to go in the remote places we went but certainly not forbidden. We saw lots of foreigners around Mt. Kailesh, Everest, and Lhasa. The east of the province was still blocked however which is why you can see in the map at the beginning that we turned north at Lhasa, up to Qinghai, then back down towards Sichuan.
Not many actually. Most issues were normal wear and tear. One battery replacement, one or two chain replacements, one flat tire, brakes had to be switched out a couple of times (more than normal because of the rough roads).
Looks like a very memorable trip with its share of hardships and amazing moments. While I do not have the guts to make this kind of journey I have been wanting to make small trips through a few provinces. How difficult is it to make sure you have a petrol station to fuel up before you set out? My biggest worry is getting stranded in the middle of the country side. I live in Jilin Province.
+JD Haggard You shouldn't have any problems filling up on gas, particularly in any of the provinces on the east coast. My first long trip by motorcycle in China was in 2011 on a small 250cc bike, two people, packed up for a week on the road and we made it from Beijing to Qingdao and back without any problems with gas.
I am looking at getting either a Duke 200 or a Z250SL. Both small bikes and in my price range. Do you think they can handle a trip between provinces on China roads? I am a novice rider.
+JD Haggard Yeah, for sure I'd say so. It's definitely more intensive on a smaller bike as you have to be a lot more responsible for staying up right and you'll get buffeted around a bit more by the bigger things on the road, but still absolutely doable. In fact, a few years ago my first long trip in China was down the coast from Beijing to Qingdao on a 250cc bike, that was fully loaded and with a passenger. It was also a Chinese bike (Jincheng) so the quality was not as reliable as you'd be looking at with a KTM!
Hey Tony, The bike was great! Considering how much we put it through it held up surprisingly well. Definitely punched above its weight. My only major complaint was that it was a little too small for, but I'm relatively tall (6'1") so not much you can do about that :)
Awesome, I would have to recommend another bike for a trip like that though. I'm surprised your did everything without a hitch. I'd imagine a ktm 1190 adventure, or a super tenere would have made it a much more comfortable ride. props to you though hope to take a long trip some day similar to your on my bike
Yep, definitely would have been great to have any kind of adventure bike but there were a couple of things that led us down the CFMoto route. One was that this was a trip really all about China. We were going for a world record and we thought it would be nice to do it on a Chinese bike. Second, if anything went wrong it's very difficult if not impossible to get parts and have repairs done in China (you basically have to import parts illegally and that would have been a major time suck). Last, it's just cost prohibitive. Imports of motorcycles in China are treated as "luxury goods" and so are taxed heavily (as much as 50% of the base cost) and then sold at a high premium. A KTM 1190 probably goes for around ¥100k ($16-20k) in China. It made for a few bumps (often literally), but in the end it more or less worked out! Next time, not in China, I'll probably opt for something a little higher and with more suspension (650cc is more than enough for engine size though even with two people!)
This is so cool. I've been living in Chengdu for many years (I see you went to the nearby Leshan giant buddha) and have long dreamed of taking a trip like this!
+just charlie We went through Chengdu (and Chongqing) as well! I'd definitely recommend getting yourself a bike if you have the chance. I loved Sichuan myself. Some very remote and beautiful areas, particularly out west. And since you're in the area, you can just make a short holiday out of it!
+Buck Perley I think I will do that, I recently discovered a WeChat group for Chengdu expat motorcyclists. There are about 80 of us. I will share your video with the group, very inspiring trip you took and great that you documented it like this.
+just charlie Thanks so much! We're actually currently trying to produce a 7 or 8 part mini-series documenting the whole trip and just recently finished the pilot, so if you liked this video definitely subscribe to the feed or sign up to our newsletter on our site to find out when the show comes out! Also glad you found a group. There are a few good ones that we met around the country as well, everywhere from Hebei, Fujian, Zhejiang, Beijing, Shanghai. China, despite the restrictions, can be a great place to motorcycle.
I really Enjoyed your video, This is the inspiration for me to give my dream a perfect way, I want to travel from Zhangmuzhen, Nyalam, Xigaze, Tibet, China to Kashgar, Xinjiang, China Via G219 in near future. I expect suggestion from your side If you have some resources please share with me.
Hi Arjun, I just stopped by and noticed that the response I had written to you never got saved for some reason. In terms of resources I can recommend, you can check out our website as a good place to start where we've got lots of maps, photos, trip diary, etc. In terms of your route, definitely make sure you look into how you're going to get into China with your motorcycle. We stayed within the country, so this wasn't a problem for us, but many people I know who have tried to ride in from outside found it prohibitively expensive (and I've heard from some that you're required to have a guide in this case). Also there tend to be restrictions on foreigners traveling in Tibet, so make sure all your paper work is in order and you've confirmed your route is open. All that said, I'm so happy to hear that you've been inspired by our story! That's been our main goal of sharing our trip online and I wish you the best of luck in the planning and execution.
Wow! 33,300kms; 146 days (and nights), 33 provinces, 1 country. In 5.29 minutes!
Nicely done, good music too!
Thanks Michael, glad you liked it!
That has to be the biggest test of a relationship ever haha.
WOW, this is so epic! You guys are really deserved respect. As a Chinese my self, I dont have the ball to travelling like this.
Hey henry91w thanks very much! Really appreciate the support and glad you enjoyed the video. One great thing we experienced in our travels actually was the growing community of Chinese adventurers and travellers doing their own similar trips. 加油！
“有什么能够阻挡？对自由的向往。天马行空的生涯。一颗心了无牵挂。穿过幽暗的岁月。也曾感到彷徨。当一低头的瞬间。才发觉脚下的路。心中那自由的世界。如此的清澈高远。盛开的永不凋零，？？？花。。。”
庄臣 蓝莲花，歌的名字
Many years later hah~, I'm still impressed by you two have done this! And it's amazing that the web still exists. The BGM"曾经的你by Xuwei" now becomes the ANTHEM encouraging us to go to Tibet, no matter by Motorcycle or Vehicle or whatever
You are my heroes in my heart! I've never thought of riding a motorcycle to travel around China. Thanks for sharing such a good video!
Weihua Shi Thanks! We really appreciate the kind comments. Glad you enjoyed the video. We're hoping we can make this into a mini-series sometime soon too, so hopefully more to come!
Buck Perley I lived in China more than 30 years, but I have only been to Beijing, Shanghai, Henan Province, Anhui province, Jiangsu province, Zhejiang province, Guangdong province, Guizhou province and Hunan province. I know there are lots of parts of China with wonderful natural scenery and different culture. But I don't have the courage like you guys to travel so long distance in China by riding a motorcycle. You guys are awesome!
Weihua Shi It definitely is a big country with so much to see and do, people to meet, and food to eat! Even 5 months and 21,000 miles wasn't nearly enough.
Courage is all in the mind, just have to find your opportunity, something you care about, and get out there and ride! 加油！
Buck Perley 兄弟，加油，期待你更好的大作！
Beautiful video . Loved it 🥰🥰🥰🥰
Wow,great,man!
I'm a chinese,and I'll on my trip through China In two months.
After watching your video,get so much inspired.
Awesome! Always glad to hear of our trip inspiring other travelers. 一路平安！
Where are you planning on going?
So much respect for your trip! a lot of respect to to you two! 我真的喜欢中国
Hats off, amazing ride, respectable riders, unbelievable courage, awesome video, and incredible experiences. Wish you all the best !
兄弟，真心佩服你们！不是所有人都有这样的毅力和勇气，也不是每个人都可以拥有这样的经历，真的被你们震撼了。希望你们一路平安，在中国过的开心
谢谢你啊！这样的支持对我们能成功很重要而且在路上的时候中国人这么欢迎我们让我们感动！
Buck Perley 佩服！怎么不试一试318国道川-藏线？
I was proud of myself with a trip of 9000 km... nothing compare to both of you , what a such experience ..wowwww My only words for you is Woowww I am impressed.. We can,t do a trip like that without being a real adventurer.. Congratulation
Thanks Claude! Glad you enjoyed it and thanks for watching! Don't sell yourself short either. 9000km can be an adventure too. My very first motorcycle trip was a few thousand miles with my dad down the east coast of the U.S., and ever since then I was hooked :D
Feel like being young again ... Just by watching!
Very nice .... We know that CF Moto 650 TR very well.... And our paths crossed in places. All the best, Rupert & Fanny.
+Rupert Utley Ditto for your trip! Did we run into each other on the road? We were very happy and pleasantly surprised by the CF after it was all said and done. Only problems were due to human error and natural wear and tear, despite the conditions being less than ideal!
This is the most surprising video about traveling in China in my view.
There are no words to describe your determination.. world not big enough for you
Super!!!!!! Both songs at the beginning and the ending are so catchy... not easy for ur GF either, being the passenger the whole trip.
this deserve 100 times more views.
+ForEsTbiLLoW Thanks so much for saying so! We really appreciate it and glad you enjoyed the video.
I have bought one the CFMOTO 650TR and really satisfied with engine performance, durability, endurance...body work finishing, value for money, easy handling which is lighter than ST..I complete ride it from Malaysia (Johor) to Chiang Rai (Northern Thailand Province) without a single problem on the road....just to change the engine oil & oil filter before return to Malaysia
Hi Rohiman MJ, thanks for sharing your experiences with your CFMOTO! Totally agree. It's quite an impressive bike and does a good job of dispelling a lot of the suspicions people have of quality when it comes to Chinese made products.
Keep the paint side up and the rubber on the road!
respect!许巍的歌选的很好，为你点赞👍
hope to see the full length video! Motorcycles are forbidden in many cities of China, so most people would choose travel by car, you guys are really bravo
Yep, we definitely had our fair share of challenges but nothing compares to travel by motorcycle!
admire you both able to do this...
This is really brave and amazing. I am inspired by both of you 🙏🙏😍😘
The trailer from our trip. Makes sense this should be on our Google+ profile!
trip of a lifetime! you couple are my model! admiring!
+Zhen DING Thanks very much!
Well done you guys an epic record to set and this will take some beating. Looks like the CFMoto is a tough little motor too!
+john a stirzaker Unfortunately the record has since been beaten but yeah it's definitely going to be tough to do again in China considering motorcycles can't use the expressways (legally)
Thats pretty epic, not sure if i can ride for 146 days straight without my own bed. Cheers to you guys for doing it!
+MrPanda415 Haha, thanks! Was challenging at times, but to be honest you get used to it and it sort of just becomes your new normal, a new "nine-to-five"
+Buck Perley please6
great! keep posting mate. good luck
Congratulations to both of you, on an epic road trip!
Thanks Anthony!
this is reli cool! please do more videos on it!
Thank you for the video of your great trip. Will try to see the rest of your trip around China. Apart from showing us the great video, may be you should also go into some details describing the experiences you had in China, good and bad. To give the rest of us a objective view on China. Thank you again, I am envious of your great adventure.
Awesome! be safe and enjoy your journey in China!
Wei Luo Thanks! Trip is all done actually :). Working on the book and tv show now!
this is so hardcore! you guys are awesome! thanks for sharing your travels.
Thanks Kyle Glass! Really glad you liked it. Hopefully there will be more to come in the not too distant future!
Much Respect
Thank you
Are you guys on to any other adventures now? This was such an epic trip and I am soo happy to see you guys to have enjoyed this so much!!
I love the song, just like your long journey
Riding through the tibetan plateau is one of my bucketlist. How difficult is it to do Touring in China? Do you need special guide or permits? what about the motorcycle rentals?
great video lovely to watch.
Thanks! Glad you liked it.
Awesome video! I randomly stumbled upon your channel because I just uploaded my own world travels video. It looks like you had tons of fun! Great work filming & editing! I just recently started making travel videos about a month ago while traveling Europe. I know all the hard work that goes into it! Your videos great! Have a good day!
Hey Ryan Wilson, thanks very much and thanks for watching! Definitely is a lot of work taking care of all the footage we managed to gather along the way, especially after a full day on the bike! :) Happy travels
Your welcome Buck, you deserve the praise. I've been through the same troubles in filming my own travels. If you get a chance I'd love to get your feedback, I'm always trying to improve!
Ryan Wilson Appreciate it! I managed to have a quick look through some of yours and I think it looks good. Like your use of music! Most important thing is to just stick with it. It's been over a year since we finished the trip and we're only now on the verge of finally finishing a pilot for a mini-series. Lots of ups and downs!
Really touched by this!!
Thanks MrZyg86 ! Glad you enjoyed it.
Thanks so much for sharing! I plan to do a similar trip in South America, do you have any tips, advice, cautionary tales? What would you say is the most important thing/things to bring on this trip? Thanks.
Hey tronable,
So sorry for taking so long to respond! Glad you enjoyed the video. When are you planning your trip and for how long?
As for advice and stories, we've got plenty, and probably too much to fit in one youtube comment :). You could check out our site which lists out our equipment, has maps, and a daily trip diary where you can read about the difficulties we ran into.
Honestly though, the most important point of advice I can give is to go out for some practice trips. Even if it's not as "rugged" as you may get on your SA trip, you'll still work out some of the kinks of your systems (what to pack, how to pack, how to unpack, etc.) and then the rest you'll learn as you're going along. Each person is different and so everyone has their own systems and their own "must pack" items.
Other than taking practice trips, I would also recommend having some sort of "home base" back at home. Someone you can trust to handle postage of things in case you need to send things back. Also take the time to maybe try and set up some waypoints along the way where people can send you mail. This can be good for morale (friends and family sending you care packages and letters) as well as for making equipment upgrades. Finding the International Youth Hostels in the major cities you know you'll be passing through is probably a good strategy. This was a little tougher for us to manage since in China, bikes aren't always allowed in cities and foreigners aren't always allowed to stay in hotels so not many hotels would make a commitment to accept packages ahead of time.
Hope that helps!
Oh and one more thing to add- pack XL sized ziplock bags (1L and up) and duct tape. Invaluable tools. (send extra ziplocks to your mail drops too as they will wear down and can be hard to find).
Awesome video!
wow....can you please share the name of the song?? I like it.....
All songs are listed in the video description. (You might have to click "Show more")
Total respect. Must have been fantastic wish i had the gut to try
Thanks Daryl!
May I k ow what type / brand of bike are you using during this adventure? Is there any mechanical problem during the trip? Roughly how many kilometer did you travel each day on the trip? Thank you 😁😁😁
Of course, a Chinese brand called CFMoto. Some mechanical problems but mostly human error. you can learn more from our blog or the book www.thegreatrideofchina.com
great good luck and have fun
Great trip! Have the regulations on foreigners operating motorcycle/cars in China been relaxed or do you still need to have local drivers license?
+Luk M Hey. Yeah unfortunately all of your paperwork needs to be local. Good news is that it's not prohibitively difficult to get. If you have a foreign license you can convert into a Chinese one by taking a written test (and they have an English version). If you buy a local bike then it is also possible to get the plates and insurance.
@@BuckPerley how long would it take to be done with the paper work? I really appreciate if you can guide me to a website or any information regarding the process! I have been longing for a china tour, but I hold back when i read you need to have a guide for all your travel destinations. Thanks
@@slamionthebest Hey, sorry for the delay in responding! Unless you plan on going to Tibet, a guide is not necessary. If you're not nervous about riding illegally, I knew plenty of foreigners (and Chinese) that just bought used motorcycles with cash and took a risk that they wouldn't be pulled over, which for the most part worked out. I got my Chinese driver's license a very long time ago now, so things have likely changed quite a bit. In any case, this is a somewhat humorous telling of my experience with the test back then: www.rubberonroad.com/2012/09/driving-license-some-insight-into-poor-chinese-driving-habits/
@@slamionthebest You might also find some of the content on our website/blog helpful. There's a post I wrote before we set out on the trip talking about how we were thinking of preparation, and then as you go through the blog itself just seeing day to day how we adapted and changed based on conditions: www.thegreatrideofchina.com/trip-preparation/
Buck Perley thank for the update
nice video !!!!! thanck you
Weldon My hat off for you guys, Keep exploring the world.
+Shiran De Silva Thanks Shiran!
Hi, how did you figured out Tibet? ...with all those permissions etc.. thanks
We had to work with a tour company located there. It is definitely not easy, but if you find go with a guide (or at least this was the case in 2013) it's perfectly manageable.
Wow, this is epic! Even if it took you a whole year to finish the journey by car, it's still epic!
+syncmaster915n Thanks! China is definitely an amazing place to travel through.
brave souls.
Excellent adventure. How did the bike hold up? Any problems?
+Maurice W. Thanks! Bike held up great. Only ran into normal problems of wear and tear plus some issues caused by human error at local mechanic shops. Got a lot more info on that on our website (not to mention our currently in progress book and mini-series!) and I plan on putting together a dedicated, in-depth review soon too.
+Buck Perley I've just found your website. Best of luck with the book and series! Thank you.
This is amazing, I hope to do it one day!
China is a wide country.
Wonderful travel.
As a half-Chinese, this really makes me want to delve more into my Chinese heritage. Awesome video... is there any more footage?
Hey Likhi Ondov Thanks very much! Amy, my girlfriend who's in the video too, is also half Chinese but grew up abroad and a big part of the trip for her was learning more about that side of her background. She's also an architect and so she wanted to learn more about China's ancient and varied vernacular architecture (which there is so much of around as diverse and old a country as China!).
Glad you liked the video. There is A LOT more footage actually. We filmed the whole thing, probably over 80 hours total. We're in talks with some people to hopefully put together a mini-series. So fingers crossed that we can make that happen. I'm also working on a book that should be out hopefully next year. You can sign up at our website if you're interested in getting it for 50% off when it's released.
Thanks for watching and keep the rubber on the road!
This is incredible!!
really cool and hard!!!
Thanks hitmanhunters!
WHAT IS BIKE MODEL?
Is that jiaozhou bay bridge in qingdao at 4.14?
MO CHEN Yes, I believe it is! Good eye.
伟大的环游，坚韧不拔的精神。
Hey, you guys are awesome, where are you now? Is everything OK?
Hey LJ, thanks very much. Everything ok. We're married now recently moved to Texas!
This looks amazing. Is there a full video of this trip?
Thanks so much! Our goal is to produce this as a full mini-series (we have around 80-100 hours of footage) and we did produce a pilot episode. The plan was to sell that to a network so we could afford to produce the full thing (around 6-7 episodes). Unfortunately, we hit some roadblocks, but we do hope to release the pilot soon and then who knows what will happen! Be sure to subscribe to The Great Ride of China channel to find out when that's available.
Buck Perley riding a 650 cc motorcycle across China. I think that is difficult to sell to the population in China. When the 125 cc is the main workhorse
How hard was it for you to find fuel in more remote parts of China? How much reserve do you carry? I was told you should join a tour group and from there deviate, or at least get a guide.
Hey Eibli, thanks for watching! Actually fuel wasn't TOO difficult to find. We only had to carry reserves in Tibet where we had to have a guide anyway because foreigners aren't allowed to travel alone. There were a couple of other close calls, but usually you'll find one every 100km or so if you're on the national and provincial roads.
From my experience, if you're with a tour group you will be unable to deviate as they are responsible for you from the governments point of view which includes registering where you stay each night, what your itinerary is, etc. We had to register with local PSBs (Public Safety Bureau) every 3 days in Tibet with what our schedule was going to be and most hotels in the country don't even accept foreigners (because of the difficulties registering)
hmm, how did you pull this off ? Was looking into going through china next year but the constant need for a guide was a turn off, not to mention the need for chinese lincense plates and drivers license.
It's quite a bit easier if you start in China rather than ride in from outside. So our bike was bought in China (it's actually Chinese made) and that got us the proper plates and registration, and I also had my Chinese license which you can get with an English written test to convert a foreign license (though I have heard you can get a temporary tourist one). Once you've got that, there's no need for a guide anywhere except for Tibet, which also requires separate documentation.
It's an amazing and diverse country to experience from a motorcycle, so if you can find the chance, I highly recommend it!
yeah, buying a local bike is not an option, ill be travelling on my 1190 ktm.
main reason i wanted to go through was to head to the himalayas but all the bureaucracy is very off putting. that and the fact i have to get to seoul to be able to ship the bike onwards to canada.
Yeah, that makes it pretty difficult then. If you're interested in getting to the himalayas then it might be worth looking into getting in from the Nepal side. We went to Everest Base Camp in Tibet, but as I mentioned there they need even more paperwork (pro tip: if you are in China, you can get a pretty unfettered Tibetan Plateau experience from Sichuan province, no extra visa, no guide, no police presence. I preferred it way more). We met one or two groups when we were in Tibet that had come from Nepal.
In terms of getting to Seoul, I can't think of anyway you'd be able to get there other than shipping it anyway. Even if you could get into China, you'd still have North Korea to deal with!
North Korea would be a problem. from vladivostok its relatively easy to get to South Korea as theres a ferry every Wednesday.
considering just stopping at seoul for 2-3 weeks and take a flight to kathmandu and do the everest basecamp trek. Seems to be easiest way and still cheaper than guide through china.
problem with the approach from nepal is that i would somehow have to get to india(im heading east through iran) and theres pakistan and afghanistan in the way, 2 countries im not to keen on going through. uzbekistan currently also at the moment is impassable according to my info.
Amazing. How did you put together your itinerary?
This is absolutely brilliant. How did you get around the need for a guide? Did you get a Chinese motorcycle license?
Hey DonQuichotteLiberia Thanks for watching! Glad you enjoyed it. Amy and I both have lived in China since 2010 so we already had some experience traveling by motorcycle here. I had a license and we had plates and insurance. The only place we needed a guide for was Tibet which is still heavily controlled. In fact, we were originally planning on going straight from Lhasa into Sichuan as it's supposed to be an amazing drive but later found out that Eastern Tibet was closed to foreigners, even with a guide, so we had to do a (massive) detour up north to Qinghai and then around back down towards Chengdu (an additional 2 weeks minimum).
Buck Perley Thanks for your reply! I'm planning to go from Europe to Xi'an this summer. Is it hard to get a Chinese license? I guess command of Chinese in reading and writing is required to take the test?
DonQuichotteLiberia Sorry for the delay. I wrote a response a while ago but just realized it never went through for some reason.
If you can, unless you have the additional resources and connections in China, I would recommend against going from outside to inside China. Crossing the border into the country with a motorcycle can be very difficult and expensive because of the requirements they put on (import taxes that cost as much as the bike, guide requirements, paperwork, etc.). It's not impossible as I've heard of people doing it but from China out is significantly easier.
For the test, they have an English version (at least in 1st tier cities like beijing where I took it) and you can get a foreign license converted without taking the practical and only the written. The test itself suffers from problems ranging from bad translations to questions that simply defy reason (I wrote about my favorites on a blog post here: www.rubberonroad.com/2012/09/driving-license-some-insight-into-poor-chinese-driving-habits/). I have also heard that there's something like a tourist license but I haven't done it myself so don't know for sure.
Hey Buck, thanks a lot for for your extensive response, I greatly appreciate it! I will try to book through a company to acquire the licence. BTW, your blog is awesome. Such an adventure! :-D
DonQuichotteLiberia Thanks, appreciate it! Glad you're enjoying it. Feel free to drop us a line if you have any other questions! :)
Amazing. I guess buying a bike in China is the only way. Where did you buy and register it? What about insurance? Do you speak Chinese?
Hi Felix, we started off in Beijing which is where we got all of our registration done. I had already converted my US license to the Chinese one as well. Amy and I both speak Chinese (far from fluent though!) and I can read and write as well which was a huge help with the confusing Chinese road signs and contradictory GPS directions.
Thanks for watching!
pass by my hometown. you are great.
+Ben Cheng Hey Ben, where's your hometown?
Buck Perley bozhou anhui province.
+Ben Cheng 哦对对。我们路过亳州而且在阜阳住一夜 :)
你很厉害，赞。welcome.
one thing for sure you are safe in all time in china country there people are so warm good people
When is the DVD coming out?
We're reaching out to production companies at the moment to see who might be interested in helping us to produce it. So we'll have to see. Hopefully not too long! Also, we're in the process of working on a book that we hope to have out by sometime early next year.
That’s a crazy truck in in the first shot
厉害，玩的开心！
+Binter Bishop 谢谢！
Greaaaaaat ! Thanks !
Very nice indeed
where is the complate video each province that you have . its good if you make each province as episode
Thanks for watching Anunaki! We actually did do a pilot TV episode, a first that we hope can eventually be a mini-series that covers the preparations and the first 10 days and several provinces. You can check that out here: ruclips.net/video/OJSagODtV3o/видео.html
As for every province, we unfortunately didn't spend enough time per province for each one to be its own episode. Since we were on a motorcycle, we were severely restricted by weather and had to keep to a timeline that would make sure, for example, that we didn't get stuck in Tibet with the snows. That said, on our website, thegreatrideofchina.com, we have a way to navigate through blog posts we did for each province. You might also be interested in the book we published that goes into more of the details from each province too!
Very nice!!! :D
superb adventure
it must be an unforgettable memory.
How did you guys get into Tibet，i thought its forbidden for foreginers。
+Yang Liu You need a guide and it's more difficult (and expensive) to go in the remote places we went but certainly not forbidden. We saw lots of foreigners around Mt. Kailesh, Everest, and Lhasa. The east of the province was still blocked however which is why you can see in the map at the beginning that we turned north at Lhasa, up to Qinghai, then back down towards Sichuan.
Amazing experience
Thanks +Lucas!
太厉害了，佩服你
how many times the bike broke down in the journey?
Not many actually. Most issues were normal wear and tear. One battery replacement, one or two chain replacements, one flat tire, brakes had to be switched out a couple of times (more than normal because of the rough roads).
没想到还用了蓝莲花做bgm,哈哈！
excellent content thanks for the share
Its a bmw wow. Hows your expenses? Is it bearable
+Fikri Sairin CFMoto actually :). Chinese made! It worked very well despite not being the most optimal ride for those types of conditions.
Looks like a very memorable trip with its share of hardships and amazing moments. While I do not have the guts to make this kind of journey I have been wanting to make small trips through a few provinces. How difficult is it to make sure you have a petrol station to fuel up before you set out? My biggest worry is getting stranded in the middle of the country side. I live in Jilin Province.
+JD Haggard You shouldn't have any problems filling up on gas, particularly in any of the provinces on the east coast. My first long trip by motorcycle in China was in 2011 on a small 250cc bike, two people, packed up for a week on the road and we made it from Beijing to Qingdao and back without any problems with gas.
I am looking at getting either a Duke 200 or a Z250SL. Both small bikes and in my price range. Do you think they can handle a trip between provinces on China roads? I am a novice rider.
+JD Haggard Yeah, for sure I'd say so. It's definitely more intensive on a smaller bike as you have to be a lot more responsible for staying up right and you'll get buffeted around a bit more by the bigger things on the road, but still absolutely doable. In fact, a few years ago my first long trip in China was down the coast from Beijing to Qingdao on a 250cc bike, that was fully loaded and with a passenger. It was also a Chinese bike (Jincheng) so the quality was not as reliable as you'd be looking at with a KTM!
Amazing!
so what do u think bout this bike???
any recommendations??
Hey Tony,
The bike was great! Considering how much we put it through it held up surprisingly well. Definitely punched above its weight. My only major complaint was that it was a little too small for, but I'm relatively tall (6'1") so not much you can do about that :)
Buck Perley many thanks for replying.. ride safe bro..
Awesome, I would have to recommend another bike for a trip like that though. I'm surprised your did everything without a hitch. I'd imagine a ktm 1190 adventure, or a super tenere would have made it a much more comfortable ride. props to you though hope to take a long trip some day similar to your on my bike
Yep, definitely would have been great to have any kind of adventure bike but there were a couple of things that led us down the CFMoto route. One was that this was a trip really all about China. We were going for a world record and we thought it would be nice to do it on a Chinese bike. Second, if anything went wrong it's very difficult if not impossible to get parts and have repairs done in China (you basically have to import parts illegally and that would have been a major time suck). Last, it's just cost prohibitive. Imports of motorcycles in China are treated as "luxury goods" and so are taxed heavily (as much as 50% of the base cost) and then sold at a high premium. A KTM 1190 probably goes for around ¥100k ($16-20k) in China. It made for a few bumps (often literally), but in the end it more or less worked out! Next time, not in China, I'll probably opt for something a little higher and with more suspension (650cc is more than enough for engine size though even with two people!)
I’ve just done 1,000 miles solo across Vietnam. My arse was destroyed 🇻🇳
Jesus Christ, good job
very cool
nice trip
Cool ... You are always welcome to KERALA ... Hope we would meet someday 😎🍻
Inspiring
This is so cool. I've been living in Chengdu for many years (I see you went to the nearby Leshan giant buddha) and have long dreamed of taking a trip like this!
+just charlie We went through Chengdu (and Chongqing) as well! I'd definitely recommend getting yourself a bike if you have the chance. I loved Sichuan myself. Some very remote and beautiful areas, particularly out west. And since you're in the area, you can just make a short holiday out of it!
+Buck Perley I think I will do that, I recently discovered a WeChat group for Chengdu expat motorcyclists. There are about 80 of us. I will share your video with the group, very inspiring trip you took and great that you documented it like this.
+just charlie Thanks so much! We're actually currently trying to produce a 7 or 8 part mini-series documenting the whole trip and just recently finished the pilot, so if you liked this video definitely subscribe to the feed or sign up to our newsletter on our site to find out when the show comes out! Also glad you found a group. There are a few good ones that we met around the country as well, everywhere from Hebei, Fujian, Zhejiang, Beijing, Shanghai. China, despite the restrictions, can be a great place to motorcycle.
+just charlie hey, have you got a link for the wechat group please?
Joshua McBride I can't link to wechat groups, but if you add me on wechat I can invite you, my username is justcharlie
这么厉害的旅程居然视频这么短。应该不少视频才对啊。如果是的话，建议可以推荐卖给旅游卫视，之前也有加拿大两兄弟骑摩托车环游中国，然后录制成纪录片就卖了中国旅游卫视，中国播出了，反响还不错！
厉害啊！
it's amazing
I really Enjoyed your video, This is the inspiration for me to give my dream a perfect way, I want to travel from Zhangmuzhen, Nyalam, Xigaze, Tibet, China to Kashgar, Xinjiang, China Via G219 in near future. I expect suggestion from your side If you have some resources please share with me.
Hi Arjun,
I just stopped by and noticed that the response I had written to you never got saved for some reason. In terms of resources I can recommend, you can check out our website as a good place to start where we've got lots of maps, photos, trip diary, etc.
In terms of your route, definitely make sure you look into how you're going to get into China with your motorcycle. We stayed within the country, so this wasn't a problem for us, but many people I know who have tried to ride in from outside found it prohibitively expensive (and I've heard from some that you're required to have a guide in this case). Also there tend to be restrictions on foreigners traveling in Tibet, so make sure all your paper work is in order and you've confirmed your route is open.
All that said, I'm so happy to hear that you've been inspired by our story! That's been our main goal of sharing our trip online and I wish you the best of luck in the planning and execution.
so cool
+王果 Thanks!